Improvement ijn grain-drills



. z Sheets-Sheet 1; T. BRENNAN, J- TAYLQR & I T- LY-NAM.

GRAIN-DRILL P at ented J'ulv 17,- 1877,

N-PEYERS, PHD GRAPHER, WASHINGTON, Dv C.

' Y I 2SheefosSh e et2'. 7'1. BRENNAN, T. TAYLOR 8:, J'. T. LYNAM.

' GRAIN-DRILL: No. 193,075. Patehted JfiIyWILIB'ZT UNITED M 5 FFICE.

THOMAS BRENNAN AND JAMES TAYLOR, 0F LOUISVILLE, AND JOHN T. U LYNAM, OFJEFFERSON COUNTY, KENTUCKY.

I M'PR OVEMEN T liN GRAIN-DR'lLLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.-

January To all whom it may concern: l

.Be it known that we, THOMAS BRENNAN and JAMES TAYLOR, of Louisville,and JOHN T. LYNAM, of Jefferson county, in the State of Kentucky, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Grain-Drills and we dohereby declare that the. following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to makeand use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinalvertical section on line a; w of Fig. 4. Fig. 2 is a cross-section ofthe hopper, with its feed-wheels and valves. Fig. 3 is a front elevationof the hopper, &c. Fig. 4 is a top-plan view of the drill. Fig. 5 shows,in perspective and front views, the furrow-openers.

Our invention consists in peculiarly-constructed furrow openers,provided with straight flat springs, and having one adj ustment incidentto the springs and another independent of the springs, the former forthe purpose of avoiding rocks, inequalities, &c.,

in the ground, and the latter for raising all of the openers out of theground in going to or leaving a field, the construction beingsubstantially as hereinafter specified.

The letters A in the drawings designate fur row-openers, whose lowerends are V-shaped in front and side view, and which are constructed withpioneer colters a, with sharp ened edges. (See front view, Fig. 5.) Thefurrow-openers are further provided with tubular extensions A, and theircolters terminate in flat tongues b. To these tongues b straight flatsteel springs B are secured atone end, their other ends being attachedto a bar, 0. This bar 0 is hinged to the frame D of the drill, so as topermit the raising and lowering of all of the furrow-openerssimultaneously in going to or leaving a field, or while therein, ifnecessary, and this operation is performed by the user through ahand-lever, H, fulcrumed to the frame, which lever is connected with thebar 0 by the link F, which extends from an arm,- G, of the lever, to arod, bar, or plate, E, projecting from the said bar 0. The hand-lever His retained in any given position I 193,075, datedJuly 17, 1877';applicati on filed by means of its dog K, engaging a toothed rack, J.

a number of seed feed-boxes, 0. These boxes are preferably, cast, in twopieces and afterward bolted together, as indicated in Fig. 1,

shaft,d. Upon this shaft 41, and within the seed feed-boxes, are placedtoothed or cellular wheels 8, the cells opening forward. There are,preferably, two of such wheels in each box, their cells or teeth beingalternate. (See Figs. 2 and 3.) Beneath the boxes 0 are arranged thecups 9 of the seed-tubes f, the said seed-tubes extending into thetubular portions A of the furrow-openers.

The wheels e revolve in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 2, and hencethe feed is overshot. The quantity fed from the hopper is regulated byvalves h, made to cover the tops of the wheels, and adjustablerelatively thereto. These valves are connected, by stems i attachedthereto, to a bar, is, and this bar is supported by hangers 0, turningon the shaft d, or otherwise, and is adjustable on slotted arms 1,extending from the hopper, being fixed in any given position byset-screws m entering arms n on the said bar It.

It will he understood that the adjusting of the bar It on the arms I somoves the valves as to more or less cover or uncover the wheels 0, andthereby diminish or increase the feed.

Motion is imparted to the shaft through a chain or belt, 1), extendingfrom a pulley, s, thereon, to a pulley, r, on the shaft tof adriving-wheel. This pulley 1" is keyed to the shaft or axle t, so as toslide horizontally. thereon, and its vertical face 1" is ratchet-formed.This portion 0* constitutes the male member of a clutch, the femalemember a being fast on the axle t. 1; is a collar on the pulley r, and Ma lever, whose forked end straddles said collar. This lever is fulcrumedto the frame, and is constructed with an arm, M, which, by means of avertical finger, w, thereon, engages with a pin, 2:, on the lever H, sothat, as the said lever is depressed, (moved forward,) the pin 2 so actsupon the finger of arm M as to cause the forked lever M to draw thepulley 'r inwardly and disconnect the clutch, con- L is the hopper,having secured beneath it and they are provided with bearings forasequently causing the cessation of rotation of the pulley 'rand thefeed-shaft d.

As soon as the lever H is elevated a spring, N, acts upon the arm M, andthrough it upon the lever M, and causes it to connect the members r u ofthe clutch, and thus impart the movement of the wheels axle t to thedriving belt 1).

The movement of the lever H to disconnect the clutch serves to raise thewhole number of furrow-openers from the ground through the mechanismbefore described, and the op posite movement serves to lower .them foruse.

, This simultaneous raising of all the openers is necessary in going toor leaving a field; but

it must be observed that each separate furrowopener has an independentindividual movement for clearing stones and other obstructionsincidentto the employment of the flat steel springs B. After an openerhas passed 4 an obstruction, its spring immediately acts to bring itbackinto its furrow, its action in clearing and returning being thusautomatic. The act of raising all the openers from the ground by thelever H serves, also, to stop the feed, and the act of lowering theopeners connects a train of mechanism adapted to put the feed-shaft inmotion, as will appear from the foregoing, thus simplifying the machineand harmonizing its action.

What we claim is-' v 1. The furrow-openers A, having the tubularextensions A, the V-shaped ends, and the sharp-edged colters a,constructed as shown, in combination with flat straight lifting oroperating and supporting springs B, and tongues b, substantially asdescribed.

2. The combination of the furrow-openers A, 7

straight flat springs B, hinged bar 0, rod E, link F, lever H, andtoothed rack J, all constructed and arranged substantially as described.

. a THOMAS BRENNAN.

JAMES TAYLOR. I JOHN T. LYNAM. Witnesses:

FRANK PARDON, I E. B. HEWITT.

